Categories: GeneralSynonyms

UNLIKELY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for UNLIKELY?

Need another word that means the same as “unlikely”? Find 22 synonyms and 30 related words for “unlikely” in this overview.

Table Of Contents:

Unlikely as an Adjective
Definitions of "Unlikely" as an adjective
Synonyms of "Unlikely" as an adjective (22 Words)
Usage Examples of "Unlikely" as an adjective
Associations of "Unlikely" (30 Words)

The synonyms of “Unlikely” are: improbable, unbelievable, unconvincing, not likely, doubtful, dubious, unexpected, implausible, questionable, remote, strained, laboured, unrealistic, incredible, inconceivable, unimaginable, fantastic, fabulous, fanciful, ridiculous, absurd, preposterous

Unlikely as an Adjective

Definitions of "Unlikely" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “unlikely” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

Not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred.
Not likely to happen, be done, or be true; improbable.
Has little chance of being the case or coming about.
Having a probability too low to inspire belief.

Synonyms of "Unlikely" as an adjective (22 Words)

absurd	Inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense. The absurd* predicament of seeming to argue that virtue is highly desirable but intensely unpleasant.*
doubtful	Feeling uncertain about something. Of doubtful* legality.*
dubious	Hesitating or doubting. Timeshare has been brought into disrepute by dubious* sales methods.*
fabulous	Having no basis in reality; mythical. A fabulous* vacation.*
fanciful	Existing only in the imagination. A fanciful* mind.*
fantastic	Ludicrously odd. A fantastic* idea of his own importance.*
implausible	Highly imaginative but unlikely. Gave the teacher an implausible* excuse.*
improbable	Too improbable to admit of belief. The characters have improbable* names.*
inconceivable	Not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable. They behaved with inconceivable* cruelty.*
incredible	Difficult to believe; extraordinary. The noise from the crowd was incredible.
laboured	(especially of humour or a performance) not spontaneous or fluent. One of Alan s laboured* jokes.*
not likely	Expected to become or be; in prospect.
preposterous	So unreasonable as to invite derision. A preposterous* suggestion.*
questionable	Able to be refuted. Questionable motives.
remote	Distant in time. A remote* relative.*
ridiculous	So unreasonable as to invite derision. Her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous.
strained	Of a mainly liquid substance having been strained to separate out any solid matter. There was a strained* silence.*
unbelievable	So great or extreme as to be difficult to believe; extraordinary. Unbelievable or not it happened.
unconvincing	Having a probability too low to inspire belief. As unconvincing* as a forced smile.*
unexpected	Not expected or regarded as likely to happen. Unexpected news.
unimaginable	Difficult or impossible to imagine or comprehend. Lives of almost unimaginable* deprivation.*
unrealistic	Not realistic. It was unrealistic* to expect changes to be made overnight.*

Usage Examples of "Unlikely" as an adjective

Legislation on the question is highly unlikely.
An unlikely candidate for reelection.
An unlikely explanation.
An unlikely story.
Prices are unlikely to change.
It is unlikely that they will ever be used.
A butcher is unlikely to preach vegetarianism.

Associations of "Unlikely" (30 Words)

amaze	Surprise (someone) greatly; fill with astonishment. Your ability to speak six languages amazes me.
astonish	Surprise or impress (someone) greatly. It astonished her that he was so anxious.
astonishing	So surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm. An astonishing* achievement.*
astound	Shock or greatly surprise. Her bluntness astounded him.
astounding	Bewildering or striking dumb with wonder. The summit offers astounding* views.*
disbelief	Doubt about the truth of something. Laura shook her head in disbelief.
doubtful	Unsettled in mind or opinion. I was doubtful* of my judgement.*
exist	Have an existence be extant. He could barely exist* on such a low wage.*
fabulous	Barely credible. The fabulous* unicorn.*
farfetched	Highly imaginative but unlikely. A farfetched* excuse.*
implausible	Having a quality that provokes disbelief. This is a blatantly implausible* claim.*
impossible	Used of persons or their behavior. His assignment verged on the impossible.
improbable	Too improbable to admit of belief. This account of events was seen by the jury as most improbable.
inconceivable	Not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable. It seemed inconceivable* that the president had been unaware of what was going on.*
incredible	Beyond belief or understanding. At incredible* speed.*
marvelous	Extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers. A marvelous* collection of rare books.*
miraculous	Of the nature of a miracle or having the power to work miracles. I felt amazed and grateful for our miraculous* escape.*
miraculously	In a remarkable and extremely lucky manner. A shrine where people bring the sick to be miraculously* healed.*
profound	Profound quality. A state of profound* shock.*
redoubtable	(of a person) formidable, especially as an opponent. The redoubtable* ladies.*
staggering	So surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm. Suffered a staggering* defeat.*
supposed	Based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence. He was supposed* to go to the store.*
unacceptable	Used of persons or their behavior. The coach told his players that defeat was unacceptable.
unbelievable	So great or extreme as to be difficult to believe; extraordinary. Unbelievable or not it happened.
unconvincing	Failing to impress. She felt the lie was unconvincing.
unimaginable	Difficult or impossible to imagine or comprehend. Lives of almost unimaginable* deprivation.*
unreliable	Not able to be relied upon. An unreliable* trestle.*
unthinkable	Incapable of being conceived or considered. It was unthinkable* that John could be dead.*
untrustworthy	Not worthy of trust or belief. An untrustworthy* person.*
wonderful	Extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers. They all think she s wonderful.